This might be of relevance to this discussion. Some clearly don't know the history behind the game.
Some of the greats:
Some of the greats:
Soccer is a WORLD sport. If you aren't the undisputed best in your country's history, you aren't in the conversation of the best of all-time.
Maradona >>>>> Messi until he actually shows up in the world cup. The game is easy for him in Barcelona... let me see him carry a team..
and Ronaldo (not Christiano) >>>> Messi.... Messi is fucking Peyton Manning... do something when it fucking counts... otherwise you are just stat padding when it doesnt count.
maybe u right. but for me personally i dont think so. the reason why i say this is because a lot of the players cant stand playing hardball. hell even ex footballers are saying it. would messi go through 6 pepe's? maybe me personally dont think so. chelsea proved that one to me over and over. u see how frustrated he becomes playing against chelsea. nothing seems to work then.
now lets go back to the 90s were u only had mofos like pepe and the rules where not there.there is a reason why a lot of great players couldnt finish their careers or ended up broking. example ronaldo and marco van basten. thats why they changed the rules in the first place.
like you said the game is more technical now. even the defenders are messi types. thats that shit ajax brought in the game. defenders that not kill but solve problems by playing ball
. thats also a reason why it got easier for the strikers.
messi deserves all the props, i just want to see him without xavi or iniesta.
to me iniesta is the best player at this moment. he is important for his country and football club. and he gets the prices also. i dont know why nobody mention him and go straight to CR7 or messi.
my top 5
1-Edson Arientes
2-Diego Maradona
3-Garucho Ronaldinho
4-Messi
5-Zinadine Zidane & Ronaldo (Brazilian)
This might be of relevance to this discussion. Some clearly don't know the history behind the game.
Some of the greats:
Messi makes top 5 greatest easily. But to name him THE greatest is reaching. All of his success is on club level; given barcelona is the top club for talents, is part of his success.
my top 5
1-Edson Arientes
2-Diego Maradona
3-Garucho Ronaldinho
4-Messi
5-Zinadine Zidane & Ronaldo (Brazilian)
edson arientes: pele
Is the International stage today as great as it was 50 years ago though?
I'd beg to differ.
Club football spots millionaires in every position today. Making the first team for the Ivory Coast isn't the same thing as making the first team at Chelsea or Real Madrid. 99% of people wouldn't be able to name the RB for Serbia or Japan, but will easily name the starting 11 for Arsenal or Man U.
While history has dictated that greatness equals World Cup trophies, i'd argue that the paradigm has shifted, and that Messi is dominating all in front of him.
oh....man im american with little soccer history...that ninjas name is pele
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I understand where you're coming from. It's just a personal preference on how we enjoy the game and that's cool.
I personally enjoy aesthetic football, (the beautiful game) so Messi and his football stands out to me in that regard. You can go 100mph, and have all the muscles in the world, but if you don't have the ball, you're not really doing anything.
That's just my opinion though which is why I lean the way I do.
Also, i've seen Messi play for the national team on several occasions here in the states, and he hasn't disappointed one bit.
This was in NJ last summer against Brazil.
oh....man im american with little soccer history...that ninjas name is pele
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If club football is so hard cause they got "millionaires in every position" then world cup should be easier for Messi to win that club awards.
Not so?
Has he won a World Cup?
Nope.
He needs to deliver on the World Stage to crack the top 5.
Rivaldo >> Messi
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yeah seen that match he was good there. but he needs to do it when it counts. they played saudi arabia after that and trust me you dont want to see that match lol. they all sucked. they p;played 0-0 against Saudi Arabia![]()
Garrincha!!!
Rivaldo better than Messi... If you want. I'll disagree respectfully with time being the deciding factor in front of the youngster.
On every level, you play to your competition. Even on the amateur pub level. Doesn't make a difference in the pro's. I've seen Messi take on the USA and do next to nothing because they we're playing the USA. Hard to play good football against crap competition, but I digress. That's an entirely different topic.
I understand most people's stance about Messi having to win a World Cup, and for a player that's achieved so much in the game, it's only natural that the WC is his unicorn.
He's broken Muller's, Maradona's, Pele's, Cryuff's, Di Stefano's, Beckenbauer's record's, all at a very young age, and with 3-4 years to peak, he'll break whoever else's numbers are left on the charts in due time.
For the title of "greatest ever", sure. He might need one. And probably only one to take that claim.
But no one is ever going to exclude Messi from being one of the greats to ever play this game.
If he's not up the best, he's definitely knocking on the door.
You live in Brazil... the sport is footballSoccer is a WORLD sport. If you aren't the undisputed best in your country's history, you aren't in the conversation of the best of all-time.
Maradona >>>>> Messi until he actually shows up in the world cup. The game is easy for him in Barcelona... let me see him carry a team..
and Ronaldo (not Christiano) >>>> Messi.... Messi is fucking Peyton Manning... do something when it fucking counts... otherwise you are just stat padding when it doesnt count.
Scoring records are just that..... scoring
Having Iniesta and Xavi will definitely do that.
When Messi could leave Barca and go to another team and dominate that league and Champions' League then I will give him props over Rivaldo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivaldo
this is a brazilian thing... most Brazilians over the age of 50 say Garrincha >>> Pele... I got some compelled by the first person telling me that that I started asking a lot of people a few years back. I think I even made a thread about it here on bgol... interesting arguments by the old timers.
The fact that he is not even better than maradona says a lot.
Marodona, Azteca Stadium, World Cup 1986 = one of the greatest displays of football + goal of the century
Maradona single handedly carried Argentina to the World Cup finals and won it.
That World Cup had me questioning if Pele was really the greatest.
The only person who ever did that shit was Pele, Maradona and Zidane.
Messi needs to step up.
Good is scoring records, club honors etc...
Great is carrying an entire team to World Cup victory and dominating on the world stage.
I hope Messi could step up
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Scoring records are just that..... scoring
Having Iniesta and Xavi will definitely do that.
When Messi could leave Barca and go to another team and dominate that league and Champions' League then I will give him props over Rivaldo.
Rivaldo better than Messi... If you want. I'll disagree respectfully with time being the deciding factor in front of the youngster.
On every level, you play to your competition. Even on the amateur pub level. Doesn't make a difference in the pro's. I've seen Messi take on the USA and do next to nothing because they we're playing the USA. Hard to play good football against crap competition, but I digress. That's an entirely different topic.
I understand most people's stance about Messi having to win a World Cup, and for a player that's achieved so much in the game, it's only natural that the WC is his unicorn.
He's broken Muller's, Maradona's, Pele's, Cryuff's, Di Stefano's, Beckenbauer's record's, all at a very young age, and with 3-4 years to peak, he'll break whoever else's numbers are left on the charts in due time.
For the title of "greatest ever", sure. He might need one. And probably only one to take that claim.
But no one is ever going to exclude Messi from being one of the greats to ever play this game.
If he's not up the best, he's definitely knocking on the door.
if he wins a World Cup, he will become one of the greatest of all timeThis. Dude plays in a great system with a team full of superstars. It makes things easy for him. I'm not knocking him, but I'm holding off (on this greatest of all-time talk) until he delivers in the world cup. Dude has done practically nothing in the world cup yet..nothing.
Hmmm... Many in Brazil will tell you that Pele benefitted from Garrincha (whose also touted as an overall better player by many Brazilians), Tostao, Rivelino in the same manner Messi benefits from his duo... like this here...
Rivelinho and Garrincha are also both cited in saying, "pele got lucky" due in part to the ensemble surrounding him.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/pele-got-lucky-says-teammate-garrincha-20121123-29xgi.html
I have no gripes with that. While I don't necessarily agree with the World Cup=Greatness stance, Messi will probably have his World Cup before his time up and then these talks will resurface again.
Interestingly enough, it could come in Brazil next year.
if he wins a World Cup, he will become one of the greatest of all time
To me.. that's the only way.. or at least score a bunch of goals and carry his team to the Finals. He's been a complete non-factor in the world cup...period.
Rivelinho and Garrincha are also both cited in saying, "pele got lucky" due in part to the ensemble surrounding him.
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/pele-got-lucky-says-teammate-garrincha-20121123-29xgi.html
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The major problem with that argument is tha Pele has WON without Garrincha. Shit... Pele was even taking Santos to Europe and embarrassing teams
Messi can take that Barca team anywhere on this planet and embarass teams as well. And does.
ur point bro? you mean he is the best ever of best now? just asking?
no matter how senile he is now. (he once said Rooney was more complete than MessiOK....
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The major problem with that argument is tha Pele has WON without Garrincha. Shit... Pele was even taking Santos to Europe and embarrassing teams